In a recording system in which a digital still camera and a photo-direct printer are directly connected to each other via a general interface, image data is transmitted to the printer from the camera, and the data is printed. A communication procedure is established by applications installed into the printer and the camera, each of a plurality of functions serving as the printing system are assigned to either the camera or the printer, data and a command are transferred between the functions assigned to the camera and the printer, and recording is performed by the printer based on image data supplied from the camera.

Claim:

What is claimed is:

1. A print system, in which an image supply device and a printing device directly communicate with each other via a communication interface, for transmitting image data tothe printing device from the image supply device and printing the image data, the print system comprising: a communication unit configured to establish a communication procedure between the image supply device and the printing device; an assignment unitconfigured to acquire function information via said communication unit, the function information including at least a supporting level of an operation controller of the image supply device for controlling a user interface, and to assign an operationcontroller to either the image supply device or the printing device by comparing a supporting level of the operation controller of the image supply device with a supporting level of an operation controller of the printing device; and a print controlunit configured to transmit/receive image data and a communication command between the image supply device and the printing device based on an assignment assigned by said assignment unit, and perform a print operation by using the printing device basedon the image data supplied from the image supply device, wherein the image data is selected using the operation controller assigned by said assignment unit.

2. A control method of a print system, in which an image supply device and a printing device directly communicate with each other via a communication interface, for transmitting image data to the printing device from the image supply device andprinting the image data, the method comprising the steps of: establishing a communication procedure between the image supply device and the printing device; acquiring function information using the communication procedure, the function informationincluding at least a supporting level of an operation controller of the image supply device for controlling a user interface; assigning an operation controller to either the image supply device or the printing device by comparing the supporting level ofthe operation controller of the image supply device with a supporting level of an operation controller of the printing device; and transmitting/receiving image data and a communication command between the image supply device and the printing devicebased on an assignment assigned in said assigning step, and performing a print operation by using the printing device based on the image data supplied from the image supply device, wherein the image data is selected using the operation controllerassigned in said assigning step.

3. A control method according to claim 2, wherein the communication interface sets that the printing device is host and the image supply device is slave and said assigning step is implemented by the printing device.

4. A control method according to claim 2, wherein the image supply device and the printing device can communicate using a plurality of communication methods, and the image supply device or the printing device has a dedicated protocol for eachof the plurality of communication methods.

5. A control method according to claim 4, wherein in said acquiring step, supporting levels of the operation controller of the image supply device for controlling the user interface, a storage controller for controlling a storage unit thatstores an image file and a print controller for controlling a print operation are acquired, and in said assigning step, the supporting levels of the image supply device and the printing device are compared, and each of the operation controller forcontrolling the user interface, the storage controller and the print controller is assigned to either the image supply device or the printing device based on a comparison result.

6. A printing device for directly communicating with an image supply device via a communication interface and for receiving image data from the image supply device to print the image data, the printing device comprising: a communication unitconfigured to establish a communication procedure with the image supply device; an assignment unit configured to acquire function information of the image supply device via said communication unit, the function information including at least supportinglevel of an operation controller for controlling a user interface, and to assign an operation controller to either the image supply device or the printing device by comparing the supporting level of the operation controller of the image supply devicewith a supporting level of an operation controller of the printing device; and a print control unit configured to receive the image data from the image supply device and print the image data based on an assignment assigned by said assignment unit,wherein the image data is selected using the operation controller assigned by said assignment unit.

7. A printing device according to claim 6, wherein said assignment means acquires a supporting level of the operation controller for controlling the user interface, a storage controller for controlling a storage unit that stores an image fileand a print controller for controlling a print operation, and compares the supporting levels of the image supply device and the printing device and assigns each of the operation controller for controlling the user interface, the storage controller andthe print controller to either the image supply device or the printing device based on a comparison result.

8. A printing device according to claim 6, wherein the printing device can communicate using a plurality of communication methods, and an assignment of functions to the image supply device and the printing device differs in accordance with thecommunication method with the image supply device.

9. A control method of a printing device for directly communicating with an image supply device via a communication interface and for receiving image data from the image supply device to print the image data, the method comprising the steps of:establishing a communication procedure with the image supply device; acquiring function information using the communication procedure, the function information including at least a supporting level of an operation controller of the image supply device; assigning an operation controller to either the image supply device or the printing device by comparing the supporting level of the operation controller of the image supply device with a supporting level of an operation controller of the printing device; and receiving the image data from the image supply device and printing the image data based on an assignment assigned in said assigning step, wherein the image data is selected using the operation controller assigned in said assigning step.

10. A control method according to claim 9, wherein in said assigning step, function information describing functions of the image supply device is received after the establishment of the communication procedure, and functions are assigned basedon the received function information.

11. A control method according to claim 9, wherein the printing device can communicate using a plurality of communication methods, and an assignment of functions to the image supply device and the printing device in said assigning step differsin accordance with the communication method with the image supply device.

12. A printing system according to claim 1, wherein the supporting level includes at least a level not supporting the operation controller for the user interface or a level for asserting the use of the operation controller of the image supplydevice or the printing device.

13. A printing device according to claim 6, wherein the supporting level includes at least a level not supporting the operation controller for the user interface or a level for asserting the use of an the operation controller of the imagesupply device or the printing device.

14. A printing device according to claim 6, wherein the supporting level includes at least a level not supporting the operation controller for the user interface or a level for asserting the use of the operation controller of the image supplydevice or the printing device, and if said assignment unit cannot acquire a supporting level of the operation controller of the image supply device, then said assignment unit assigns the operation controller of the printing device as an operationcontroller of the image supply device.